Switching wireless network sites based on vehicle velocity

ABSTRACT

The disclosed technology proposes a new methodology to include the effect of speed and direction of a UE into the threshold used for determining when to switch between a 4G UL connection and a 5G UL connection. The system can use a lookup table with various speeds mapping to varying thresholds. The system can use an accelerometer sensor or digital compass to determine the direction of the vehicle, such as heading away from or toward the 5G site, so the vehicle can switch sooner from 5G-NR to LTE and from LTE to NR, respectively. For C-V2X applications, latency is an important factor because 5G technology provides shorter latency than 4G; thus keeping the link on 5G is preferred when under good coverage. Further, the idea is not limited to UL, 5G and/or vehicle technologies, but can also be applied to DL direction, Wi-Fi and/or drone technologies as well.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/813,648, filed Mar. 9, 2020, entitled SWITCHING WIRELESS NETWORKSITES BASED ON VEHICLE VELOCITY, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

5G is the fifth-generation wireless technology for digital cellularnetworks, where covered areas are divided into cells with one or moreantennas. The frequency spectrum of 5G is divided into millimeter waves,mid-band and low-band. 5G millimeter wave is the fastest, with speedsoften being 1-2 Gbit/s on the downlink, and frequencies ranging from 24GHz to 72 GHz. Millimeter waves have difficulty traversing many wallsand windows, so indoor coverage is limited, and their reach is short,thus requiring many more cells (known as “small cells”). To make up forthe gaps in 5G coverage, the cellular connection can be transferred to a4G site. When the switch occurs, the quality of service (QoS) candegrade because of different connection speeds. Further, when a userequipment (UE) moves at a high speed, such as a speed of a vehicle, andthe decision whether to switch between the 5G site and the 4G siteoccurs at a predetermined period suitable for low-speed motion, such asa speed of a pedestrian, it is possible that the switch between the 5Gsite and the 4G site cannot be made in time, and the connection betweenthe UE and the 5G site can be dropped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows multiple vehicles traversing various signal qualityboundaries.

FIGS. 2A-2B show examples of a dynamic signal quality threshold.

FIG. 3 shows a dynamic signal quality threshold applied to a movingvehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a vehicle in communication with multiple wireless networksites.

FIG. 5 shows map data for a first wireless network site.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method or processor-implementableinstructions to switch a connection of the vehicle between the firstwireless network site and the second wireless network site based on thedynamic signal quality threshold.

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example formof a computer system within which a set of instructions, for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies or modulesdiscussed herein, can be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For non-stand alone (NSA) 5G architecture, there is an option to stay on5G New Radio (NR) technology or 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technologyon the uplink (UL) direction. In early implementations, the UL cannot goon both 5G and 4G legs simultaneously (which is a feature called “ULPDCP aggregation”). Based on the Time Division Duplex (TDD) ratiostructure of 5G, UL is dedicated 10-20% of available resources, whiledownlink (DL) receives 80-90% of the available resources.

When the switch occurs, the QoS can be choppy because of differentconnection speeds. Also, 5G UL coverage is very short and depends on thesurroundings such as buildings, foliage, etc. For cellularvehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), the situation is worse because the speedof the vehicle can vary and the variation can be abrupt. Consequently,the QoS can be uneven, and can lead to lost data and calls.

The disclosed technology proposes a new methodology to include theeffect of speed and direction of a UE into the threshold used fordetermining when to switch between a 4G UL connection and a 5G ULconnection. For example, the disclosed system can use a lookup tablewith various speeds mapping to varying thresholds. Alternatively, oradditionally, the system can use an accelerometer sensor or digitalcompass to determine the direction of the vehicle, such as heading awayfrom or toward the 5G site, so the vehicle can switch sooner from 5G-NRto LTE and from LTE to NR, respectively. For C-V2X applications, latencyis an important factor because 5G technology provides shorter latencythan 4G, thus keeping the link on 5G is preferred when under goodcoverage. Further, the idea is not limited to UL, 5G and/or vehicletechnologies, but can also be applied to DL direction, Wi-Fi and/ordrone technologies as well.

FIG. 1 shows multiple vehicles traversing various signal qualityboundaries. Signal quality can be measured using various metrics such assignal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), reference signalreceived power (RSRP), bit error rate, or packet error rate. Each signalquality metric can have a corresponding threshold. When the signalquality data at a particular location, measured using a particularsignal quality metric, crosses the corresponding threshold, theconnection between a UE 100, 105, such as a cellular vehicle, or avehicle carrying a cellular transceiver, and a wireless network 110, canswitch from a first wireless network site 120 to a second wirelessnetwork site 130.

The first wireless network site 120 can be a 5G site and/or a wirelessnetwork access point. The second wireless network site 130 can be a 4Gsite and/or a wireless network access point. The first wireless networksite 120 can provide higher bandwidth than the second wireless networksite 130. Of course, some sites or access points can have multipleradios and equipment to communication over two or more differentbandwidths and/or and can employ different wireless communicationprotocols.

In one example, SINR 140 can be the signal quality metric. The thresholdin decibel (dB) for SINR can be 10 dB. When the signal quality data isequal to or less than the threshold, 10 dB, the system can direct the ULlink for the UE to the 4G site 130. Likewise, when the signal qualitydata goes above 10 dB, the system can direct the UL link for the UE tothe 5G site 120.

The threshold to switch from 5G to 4G can be different than thethreshold to switch from 4G to 5G. An additional parameter, hysteresis,can be added, which can be 4 dB. When UL SINR between the UE 100, 105and the 5G site 120 falls below 10 dB, the system can switch thewireless connection to the 4G site 130. The UL connection can stay onthe 4G site 130 until the signal is above 10 dB (SINR)+4 dB(hysteresis)=14 dB. The connection can then switch the UL to the 5G site120. The same technique can be applied to the DL connection, as well.

If the speed of the vehicle is not taken into account, severedegradation in the connection quality can occur, and can result in acall drop. For example, if a vehicle is moving fast, the vehicle cantraverse large distances and go through a significant signal degradationin the period between two measurements of the signal quality data andtwo decisions whether to switch to a different wireless network site.Once the decision to switch the wireless network sites has been made,the signal quality may have deteriorated beyond repair.

In a more specific example, the vehicle 100 can have a speed of 40 m/s,while the vehicle 105 can have a speed of 60 m/s. The SINR threshold canbe 10 dB. The SINR values 180 show the signal quality data associatedwith the first wireless network site 120. Both vehicles 100 and 105 canhave a connection to the first wireless network site 120.

In one second, the vehicle 100 can reach the point 150, while thevehicle 105 can reach the point 160. The SINR at point 150 can be 10 dB,while the SINR at point 160 can be 12 dB. Consequently, after 1 second,the vehicle 100 can switch the connection to the second wireless networksite 130, because the SINR value is 10 dB at point 150, while thevehicle 105 can stay connected to the first wireless network site 120because the SINR value is 12 dB at point 160, which is above the SINRthreshold of 10 dB.

After two seconds, the vehicle 100 can reach the point 160, where thesignal quality data is 12 dB, above the threshold. The vehicle 100,depending on the hysteresis value can switch back to the first wirelessnetwork site 120.

After two seconds, the vehicle 105 can reach the point 170, where thesignal quality data associated with the first wireless network site 120is 0 dB. At that point, the connection is lost, and the call can bedropped. Had the vehicle 105 switched to the second wireless networksite 130 earlier, that had a higher SINR value at point 170, theconnection could still be valid.

FIGS. 2A-2B show examples of dynamic signal quality threshold. Thedynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205 can vary depending on thespeed of the vehicle or the direction of the vehicle toward or away froma site or application bandwidth requirement.

For example, the dynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205 can becomputed using a function such as:

SINR′=SINR*speed of vehicle*Dopper offset,

where SINR′ is the dynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205, SINR isthe static signal quality threshold, and Doppler offset is a function ofthe velocity of the vehicle. More specifically, the Doppler offset takesthe speed of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle, whether awayor toward the site, into account.

In another example, the dynamic signal quality threshold 200 can bestored as a table 210 in a memory, such as a database. The table 210 canrelate the speed 220 of the vehicle, and the direction 230 of thevehicle to the dynamic signal quality threshold 200. In the table 210,the direction 230 of the vehicle is away from the cell site. As can beseen in table 210, the higher the speed 220 of the vehicle, the higherthe dynamic signal quality threshold 200.

When the direction of the vehicle is toward the cell site, a differenttable 240 can relate the speed 250 of the vehicle and the direction 260of the vehicle to the dynamic signal quality threshold 205. Inparticular, when the direction is toward the wireless network site, asshown in the table 240, the SINR threshold is lower. The wirelessnetwork site associated with the dynamic signal quality threshold 205can be a wireless network site providing a high bandwidth service, suchas a 5G site. The reason for lowering the SINR threshold is that, whenthe vehicle is moving away from the site, the 5G UL speed can becomeinconsistent due to lack of signal coverage at a cell edge; thus,switching to a 4G site sooner for consistency can result in a bettersignal quality. When the vehicle is moving towards the site, theconnection speed to the 5G site improves sooner due to sufficient signalcoverage; thus, switching from a 4G site to a 5G site sooner can resultin a better QoS, because the 5G site can provide higher bandwidth thanthe 4G site.

To create the table 210, 240, a collector can survey SINR coverage byconducting a “walk test” at an approximate speed of 3 m/s, wirelesslycommunicating test messages with nearby sites and access points. Thecollector can be an autonomous device, such as a drone with 4G and 5Gradios, running the software configured to perform the SINR measurement.The collector can also be a software configured to perform the SINRmeasurement and be associated with a personal device such as a mobilephone, health monitor, an AR/MR/VR device, etc.

During the walk test, the collector can collect signal strength, SINR,latency, packet error rate, etc., both in the DL and UL directions,latitude and longitude of the location, and direction of the collector.After gaining the data, the data can be analyzed to generate the tables210, 240. Data can be analyzed by using a visualization software, testtool software, and/or geodata software that can display a coverage map,a heat map, and/or an x-y plot, etc. The software can overlay differentfeatured values, such as SINR, latency, packet error rate, and/or signalstrength on top of the coverage map, the heat map, and/or the x-y plot.Upon inspecting the overlay, a processor can determine the thresholdsshown in the tables 210, 240.

The dynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205 can also be affected bythe application bandwidth requirement. For example, a 5G millimeter wavesite can provide 5-10 times higher bandwidth than a 4G site.Consequently, switching between a 5G site and a 4G site can translateinto a sudden decrease in connection speed or a sudden improvement inconnection speed.

Application bandwidth requirements can be low for applications such asemail, text, or web browsing, and those applications may not be affectedby the change in connection speed. Such applications can be purposefullymaintained on the wireless network site that offers lower bandwidth,such as the 4G site, and their dynamic signal quality thresholds 200,205 to switch between a 4G and a 5G site can be increased.

For other applications having a high bandwidth requirement such ascoordinated/cooperative driving maneuver, delivery of high definitionentertainment, online gaming, high definition sensor sharing, augmentedreality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and/or virtual reality (VR), thedynamic signal quality threshold 200, 205 can be adjusted to favormaintaining the connection to the wireless network site offering higherbandwidth, such as the 5G site. As a result, their dynamic signalquality threshold 200, 205 to switch between a 4G and a 5G site can bedecreased.

FIG. 3 shows a dynamic signal quality threshold applied to a movingvehicle. For example, the vehicle 300 can have a speed of 40 m/s, whilethe vehicle 310 can have a speed of 60 m/s. The dynamic signal qualitythreshold 340 can vary depending on the speed of the vehicle 300, 310 inthe direction of the vehicle. The SINR values 380 show the signalquality data associated with the first wireless network site 320.

The vehicle 300, 310 can be moving away from the site 320, 330. In onesecond, the vehicle 300 can reach the point 350, while the vehicle 310can reach the point 360. The SINR at point 350 can be 10 dB, while theSINR at point 360 can be 13 dB. As seen in table 210 in FIG. 2A definingthe dynamic signal quality threshold 200, the dynamic signal qualitythreshold, for example SINR, for vehicle 300 moving at 40 m/s is 11 dB,while the dynamic signal quality threshold, for example SINR, forvehicle 310 moving at 60 m/s is 13 dB.

Consequently, after one second, the vehicle 300 can switch theconnection to the second wireless network site 330, because the SINRvalue is 10 dB at point 350, and the dynamic signal quality threshold is11 dB. The vehicle 310 can also switch the connection to the secondwireless network site 330, because the SINR value is 12 dB at point 360,and the dynamic signal quality threshold is 13 dB.

After two seconds, both vehicles 300, 310 stay connected to the secondwireless network site 330, because the signal quality keeps degrading atpoints 370, 390. Unlike in FIG. 1, the vehicle 310 moving at 60 m/s doesnot drop the call at point 390 because the vehicle 310 is connected tothe second wireless network site that still offers a signal at point390, as opposed to the first wireless network site 320, whose signaldrops to 0 dB at point 390.

FIG. 4 shows a vehicle 400 in communication with multiple wirelessnetwork sites 410, 420. The vehicle 400 can be a land vehicle, an aerialvehicle or a water vehicle. The vehicle 400 can be an unmanned vehicle,e.g., an autonomous vehicle, or a manned vehicle. The vehicle 400 can bea drone.

The vehicle 400 can be in communication with multiple wireless networksites 410, 420, such as a Wi-Fi access point, a Wi-Fi router, and/or acellular network site, such as a 5G site or a 4G site. The decisionwhether to establish a connection 415 with the wireless network site410, connection 425 with the wireless network site 420, can be based onthe dynamic signal quality threshold, the measured SINR at the locationof the vehicle 400, and the velocity of the vehicle, as described inthis application.

FIG. 5 shows map data 500 for a first wireless network site 510. Thefirst wireless network site 510, such as a 5G site, can provide a signalin an area surrounding the site 510. A hardware or software processor(executing instructions explained below) associated with an autonomousdevice (such as a drone or a self-driving vehicle, etc.) or a manneddevice (such as a cell phone, a wearable device, AR/VR goggles, etc.)can obtain map data for the wireless network. The wireless network canbe a Wi-Fi network and/or a cellular network. The map data 500 canindicate variations in the signal quality based on geographic location,as shown by the various signal quality data 530, 540, 550. Signalquality data 530, 540, 550 show lines connecting locations where thesignal quality is the same. For example, signal quality data 530 canshow signal quality SINR of 20 dB, signal quality data 540 can show SINRof 11 dB, while signal quality data 550 can show SINR of 0 dB.

The map data can be used to determine dynamic signal quality thresholds,and generate tables as shown in FIGS. 2A-2B. Also, the map data 500 canbe used in real time to switch the connection between the first wirelessnetwork site 510, such as a 5G site, and the second wireless networksite 520, such as a 4G site.

For example, a hardware or software processor (executing instructionsexplained below) can obtain the map data and a future path 560 of thevehicle 570, such as the velocity of the vehicle or navigation dataassociated with the vehicle. Based on the map data and the future pathof the vehicle 570, the processor can determine a location 580 wheresignal quality data associated with the first wireless network site 510can cause an interruption in a connection between the vehicle and thefirst wireless network site 510. The processor can switch the connectionfrom the first wireless network site 510 to the second wireless networksite 520 at the last opportunity, before the vehicle 570 reaches thelocation 580.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method or processor-implementableinstructions to switch a connection of the vehicle between the firstwireless network site and the second wireless network site based on thedynamic signal quality threshold. In step 600, a hardware or softwareprocessor (executing instructions explained below) can obtain, at avehicle, signal quality data, from a first wireless network site and asecond wireless network site, where the first and the second wirelessnetwork sites provide at least a portion of the signal associated withthe signal quality data. The first wireless network site can providehigher bandwidth connection than the second wireless network site. Forexample, the first wireless network site can be a 5G site, while thesecond wireless network site can be a 4G site.

In step 610, the processor can obtain, at the vehicle, a velocity of thevehicle relative to at least the first wireless network site, such as a5G site. In step 620, the processor can create a dynamic signal qualitythreshold by increasing the dynamic signal quality threshold with anincreasing velocity of the vehicle, increasing the dynamic signalquality threshold when the vehicle is moving away from the firstwireless network site, and/or decreasing the dynamic signal qualitythreshold when the vehicle is moving toward the first wireless networksite.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the higher the vehicle speed, thehigher the dynamic signal quality threshold 200, when the vehicle ismoving away from the first wireless network site. When the vehicle ismoving toward the first wireless network site, the dynamic signalquality threshold 205 is decreased by comparison to the dynamic signalquality threshold 200; however, the dynamic signal quality threshold 205increases with increasing speed.

In step 620, the processor can create a dynamic signal qualitythreshold. To create the dynamic signal quality threshold, the processorcan adjust the dynamic signal quality threshold based on the type of thewireless network site to which the vehicle is connected.

For example, the processor can increase the dynamic signal qualitythreshold when the vehicle is in communication with the wireless networksite having lower bandwidth, such as the 4G site. That way, the vehiclecan stay in communication with the 4G site longer, until the measuredsignal quality data matches the higher dynamic signal quality threshold.Increasing the dynamic signal quality threshold when the vehicle is incommunication with the wireless network site having lower bandwidth canbe desirable when the connection between the vehicle and the wirelessnetwork site is not bandwidth intensive, such as when the applicationassociated with the vehicle is an email, a web browser or a voiceapplication. By contrast, when the application associated with thevehicle is a high definition video, an AR, MR, or a VR application, thedynamic quality threshold can be lowered to encourage switching to thehigher bandwidth wireless network site, such as the 5G site.

In another example, the processor can decrease the dynamic signalquality threshold when the vehicle is in communication with the 5G site.By decreasing the dynamic signal quality threshold, switching to thelower bandwidth wireless network site, such as the 4G site, can happensooner, which can be useful when the application associated with thevehicle is not bandwidth intensive, when the vehicle is expected toreach an edge of the 5G cell quickly, etc.

To create the dynamic signal quality threshold, the processor can obtaina table correlating a speed of the vehicle and a direction of motion ofthe vehicle with one of multiple signal quality thresholds. For example,when the vehicle is moving away from the site, an increasing speed ofthe vehicle can correlate to an increasing signal quality threshold. Inanother example, when the vehicle is moving toward the site, anincreasing speed of the vehicle can correlate to a monotonicallyincreasing signal quality threshold.

The processor can also determine a function correlating the speed ofmotion and the one of multiple signal quality thresholds based on thetable, by, for example, finding the best fit function to the datarepresented by the table, such as tables 210, 240 in FIGS. 2A, 2Brespectively. For example, the function can be represented as:

dynamic signal quality threshold=static signal quality threshold*speedof UE*Doppler offset,

where the Doppler offset can depend on the direction of the vehicle,vehicle speed and/or vehicle location. The static and the dynamic signalquality thresholds can include a signal to interference plus noiseratio, a reference signal received power, a bit error rate, or a packeterror rate.

In step 630, the processor can switch a cellular connection of thevehicle between the first wireless network site, such as a 5G site, andthe second wireless network site such as a 4G site, based on the dynamicsignal quality threshold and the measured signal quality data at thelocation of the vehicle. For example, the processor can switch thecellular connection of the vehicle between the 5G site and the 4G sitewhen the cellular network signal quality data matches and/or is lessthan the dynamic signal quality threshold.

To avoid severe degradation, or a complete loss of connection, betweenthe vehicle and the first wireless network site, such as the 5G site,the processor can determine whether to switch to the second wirelessnetworking sites more frequently, for example 1000 times more frequentlythan under normal circumstances. For example, if, under normalcircumstances, the processor makes a decision to switch between twosites every second, the processor can make a decision to switch from thefirst wireless network site to the second wireless network site everymillisecond. In another example, if the processor makes the decisionwhether to switch from the 4G site to the 5G site once a second, theprocessor can make a decision whether to switch from the 5G site to the4G site once every millisecond.

Specifically, the processor can obtain, at the vehicle, signal qualitydata from the wireless network more frequently, such as a thousand timesmore frequently, when a speed of a vehicle is above a speed threshold.The speed threshold can be 40 m/s. The processor can compare theobtained signal quality data to the dynamic signal quality thresholdmore frequently when the speed of the vehicle is above the speedthreshold. The processor can make the comparison as frequently asobtaining the signal quality data, such as once every millisecond. Theprocessor can switch a cellular connection of the vehicle between thefirst wireless network site and the second wireless network site basedon the comparison.

Computer

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example formof a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions, for causingthe machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies or modulesdiscussed herein, can be executed.

In the example of FIG. 7, the computer system 700 includes a processor,memory, non-volatile memory, and an interface device. Various commoncomponents (e.g., cache memory) are omitted for illustrative simplicity.The computer system 700 is intended to illustrate a hardware device onwhich any of the components described in the example of FIGS. 1-6 (andany other components described in this specification) can beimplemented. The computer system 700 can be of any applicable known orconvenient type. The components of the computer system 700 can becoupled together via a bus or through some other known or convenientdevice.

The computer system 700 can be associated with the vehicle 100, 105 inFIG. 1, 300, 310 in FIG. 3, 400 and FIG. 4, 570 in FIG. 5, and/or thecomputer system 700 can be associated with first and second wirelessnetwork site 120, 130 in FIG. 1, 320, 330 in FIG. 3, 410, 420 in FIG. 4,510, 520 in FIG. 5. The processor of the computer system 700 can performthe instructions described in this application. The main memory, thenon-volatile memory and/or the drive unit of the computer system 700 canbe a non-transient medium that can store the instructions performed bythe processor. The network of the computer system 700 can be thewireless network, such as a cellular network, described in thisapplication, over which the vehicle and the wireless network sitescommunicate.

This disclosure contemplates the computer system 700 taking any suitablephysical form. As example and not by way of limitation, computer system700 can be an embedded computer system, a system-on-chip (SOC), asingle-board computer system (SBC) (such as, for example, acomputer-on-module (COM) or system-on-module (SOM)), a desktop computersystem, a laptop or notebook computer system, an interactive kiosk, amainframe, a mesh of computer systems, a mobile telephone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a server, or a combination of two or more ofthese. Where appropriate, computer system 700 can include one or morecomputer systems 700; be unitary or distributed; span multiplelocations; span multiple machines; or reside in a cloud, which caninclude one or more cloud components in one or more networks. Whereappropriate, one or more computer systems 700 can perform withoutsubstantial spatial or temporal limitation one or more steps of one ormore methods described or illustrated herein. As an example and not byway of limitation, one or more computer systems 700 can perform in realtime or in batch mode one or more steps of one or more methods describedor illustrated herein. One or more computer systems 700 can perform atdifferent times or at different locations one or more steps of one ormore methods described or illustrated herein, where appropriate.

The processor can be, for example, a conventional microprocessor such asan Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola power PC microprocessor. Oneof skill in the relevant art will recognize that the terms“machine-readable (storage) medium” or “computer-readable (storage)medium” include any type of device that is accessible by the processor.

The memory is coupled to the processor by, for example, a bus. Thememory can include, by way of example but not limitation, random accessmemory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM). Thememory can be local, remote, or distributed.

The bus also couples the processor to the non-volatile memory and driveunit. The non-volatile memory is often a magnetic floppy or hard disk, amagnetic-optical disk, an optical disc, a read-only memory (ROM), suchas a CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, or anotherform of storage for large amounts of data. Some of this data is oftenwritten, by a direct memory access process, into memory during executionof software in the computer 700. The non-volatile storage can be local,remote, or distributed. The non-volatile memory is optional becausesystems can be created with all applicable data available in memory. Atypical computer system will usually include at least a processor,memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to the processor.

Software is typically stored in the non-volatile memory and/or the driveunit. Indeed, storing an entire large program in memory can not even bepossible. Nevertheless, it should be understood that for software torun, if necessary, it is moved to a computer-readable locationappropriate for processing, and for illustrative purposes, that locationis referred to as the memory in this application. Even when software ismoved to the memory for execution, the processor will typically make useof hardware registers to store values associated with the software, anda local cache that, ideally, serves to speed up execution. As usedherein, a software program is assumed to be stored at any known orconvenient location (from non-volatile storage to hardware registers)when the software program is referred to as “implemented in acomputer-readable medium.” A processor is considered to be “configuredto execute a program” when at least one value associated with theprogram is stored in a register readable by the processor.

The bus also couples the processor to the network interface device. Theinterface can include one or more of a modem or network interface. Itwill be appreciated that a modem or network interface can be consideredto be part of the computer system 700. The interface can include ananalog modem, ISDN modem, cable modem, token ring interface, satellitetransmission interface (e.g., “direct PC”), or other interfaces forcoupling a computer system to other computer systems. The interface caninclude one or more input and/or output devices. The I/O devices caninclude, by way of example but not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse orother pointing device, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other inputand/or output devices, including a display device. The display devicecan include, by way of example but not limitation, a cathode ray tube(CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or some other applicable known orconvenient display device. For simplicity, it is assumed thatcontrollers of any devices not depicted in the example of FIG. 7 residein the interface.

In operation, the computer system 700 can be controlled by operatingsystem software that includes a file management system, such as a diskoperating system. One example of operating system software withassociated file management system software is the family of operatingsystems known as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.,and its associated file management systems. Another example of operatingsystem software with its associated file management system software isthe Linux™ operating system and its associated file management system.The file management system is typically stored in the non-volatilememory and/or drive unit and causes the processor to execute the variousacts required by the operating system to input and output data and tostore data in the memory, including storing files on the non-volatilememory and/or drive unit.

Some portions of the detailed description can be presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion,it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or“determining” or “displaying” or “generating” or the like, refer to theaction and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registersand memories into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computer system memories or registers or othersuch information storage, transmission or display devices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purposesystems can be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it can prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the methods of some embodiments. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will appear from thedescription below. In addition, the techniques are not described withreference to any particular programming language, and variousembodiments can thus be implemented using a variety of programminglanguages.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine can operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine can be a server computer, a client computer, a personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a smartphone, avehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a processor, a telephone, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine.

While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storage medium isshown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encodingor carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies ormodules of the presently disclosed technique and innovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure can be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when readand executed by one or more processing units or processors in acomputer, cause the computer to perform operations to execute elementsinvolving the various aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machineor computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include but are not limitedto recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldiscs (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROMS), Digital VersatileDisks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

In some circumstances, operation of a memory device, such as a change instate from a binary one to a binary zero or vice-versa, for example, cancomprise a transformation, such as a physical transformation. Withparticular types of memory devices, such a physical transformation cancomprise a physical transformation of an article to a different state orthing. For example, but without limitation, for some types of memorydevices, a change in state can involve an accumulation and storage ofcharge or a release of stored charge. Likewise, in other memory devices,a change of state can comprise a physical change or transformation inmagnetic orientation or a physical change or transformation in molecularstructure, such as from crystalline to amorphous or vice versa. Theforegoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list in which a change instate for a binary one to a binary zero or vice-versa in a memory devicecan comprise a transformation, such as a physical transformation.Rather, the foregoing is intended as illustrative examples.

A storage medium typically can be non-transitory or comprise anon-transitory device. In this context, a non-transitory storage mediumcan include a device that is tangible, meaning that the device has aconcrete physical form, although the device can change its physicalstate. Thus, for example, non-transitory refers to a device remainingtangible despite this change in state.

Remarks

The language used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and it cannot have been selectedto delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It istherefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not bythis Detailed Description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of variousembodiments is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of thescope of the embodiments, which is set forth in the following claims.

1. At least one computer-readable medium, excluding transitory signals,and carrying instructions, which when executed by at least one dataprocessor, executes instructions for switching wireless communicationsof a user equipment (UE) between two different wireless access points ina wireless communications network, the instructions comprising:obtaining signal quality data from first and second wireless accesspoints within the wireless communications network, wherein the firstwireless access point operates under a first wireless protocol standardthat provides a first bandwidth, wherein the second wireless accesspoint operates under a second, different wireless protocol standard thatprovides a second, different bandwidth, wherein the first wirelessprotocol standard is older than the second wireless protocol standard,wherein the first wireless protocol standard employs lower datacommunication speeds as compared to the second wireless protocolstandard, and wherein the first and second wireless access pointsprovide at least a portion of a signal associated with the signalquality data; obtaining a velocity of the UE relative to at least thesecond wireless access point; creating a dynamic signal qualitythreshold by increasing the dynamic signal quality threshold with anincreasing velocity of the UE, increasing the dynamic signal qualitythreshold when the UE is moving away from the second wireless accesspoint, and decreasing the dynamic signal quality threshold when the UEis moving toward the second wireless access point; and switching anetwork connection of the UE between the second wireless access pointand the first wireless access point based on the dynamic signal qualitythreshold.
 2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, comprising:obtaining map data for the wireless communications network, wherein themap data indicates variations in the signal quality data based ongeographic location and a future path of the UE; determining a locationwhere the signal quality data associated with the second wireless accesspoint causes an interruption in a connection between the UE and thesecond wireless access point based on the map data and the future pathof the UE; and switching the connection from the second wireless accesspoint to the first wireless access point before the UE reaches thedetermined location.
 3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, whereincreating the dynamic signal quality threshold further comprisesincreasing the dynamic signal quality threshold when the UE is incommunication with the first wireless access point and decreasing thedynamic signal quality threshold when the UE is in communication withthe second wireless access point.
 4. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein creating the dynamic signal quality threshold furthercomprises obtaining a table correlating a speed of the UE and adirection of motion of the UE with one of multiple signal qualitythresholds, and wherein the operations include determining a functioncorrelating the speed of the UE and the one of multiple signal qualitythresholds based on the table.
 5. The computer-readable medium of claim1, wherein the signal quality data comprises a signal to interferenceplus noise ratio (SINR), a reference signal received power (RSRP), a biterror rate, or a packet error rate.
 6. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the UE is an aerial drone, and wherein the first andsecond wireless protocol standards are fourth-generation wirelesstechnology standard (4G) and fifth-generation wireless technologystandard (5G), respectively.
 7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein switching the network connection of the UE comprises: switchingthe network connection of the UE between the second wireless accesspoint and the first wireless access point when the signal quality datais below the dynamic signal quality threshold.
 8. A system for use withfirst and second different wireless access sites in a wirelesscommunications network, the system comprising: one or more processors;and memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memorycarries instructions executable by the one or more processors to performthe following operations: obtain, at a user equipment (UE), signalquality data, from the wireless communications network, wherein thefirst wireless access site operates under an older wireless protocolstandard that provides lower bandwidth relative to the second wirelessaccess site that operates under a newer wireless protocol standard thatprovides higher bandwidth, and wherein the first wireless access siteand the second wireless access site provide at least a portion of asignal associated with the signal quality data; obtain, at the UE, avelocity of the UE relative to at least the first wireless access site;create a dynamic signal quality threshold by increasing the dynamicsignal quality threshold when the UE is moving away from the firstwireless access site, and decreasing the dynamic signal qualitythreshold when the UE is moving toward the first wireless access site;and switch a wireless connection between the UE, the first wirelessaccess site or the second wireless access site based on the dynamicsignal quality threshold.
 9. The system of claim 8, the UE comprising aland UE, an aerial UE or a water UE.
 10. The system of claim 8, the UEcomprising an unmanned UE.
 11. The system of claim 8, the wirelesscommunications network comprises a Wi-Fi network, and the first wirelessaccess site and the second wireless access site comprise respectivefirst and second Wi-Fi access points.
 12. The system of claim 8, theinstructions further comprising operations to: obtaining map data forthe wireless communications network, wherein the map data indicatesvariations in the signal quality data based on geographic location and afuture path of the UE; determining a location where the signal qualitydata associated with the first wireless access site causes aninterruption in a connection between the UE and the first wirelessaccess site based on the map data and the future path of the UE; andswitching the connection from the first wireless access site to thesecond wireless access site before the UE reaches the determinedlocation.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions to createthe dynamic signal quality threshold further comprise instructions toincrease the dynamic signal quality threshold when the UE is incommunication with the second wireless access site and decrease thedynamic signal quality threshold when the UE is in communication withthe first wireless access site.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein theinstructions to create the dynamic signal quality threshold furthercomprise instructions to operate an autonomous UE configured towirelessly communicate with the first and second wireless access siteand to measure a signal strength associated with the first and secondwireless access site.
 15. The system of claim 8, wherein theinstructions further comprise instructions to: obtain, at the UE, thesignal quality data from the wireless network more frequently when aspeed of the UE is above a speed threshold; compare the signal qualitydata to the dynamic signal quality threshold more frequently when thespeed of the UE is above the speed threshold; and switch the wirelessnetwork connection of the UE between the first wireless access site andthe second wireless access site based on the comparison.
 16. The systemof claim 8, wherein the signal quality data comprises a signal tointerference plus noise ratio (SINR), a reference signal received power(RSRP), a bit error rate, or a packet error rate.
 17. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the instructions to switch the wireless connectionfurther comprise instructions to: switch the wireless network connectionof the UE between the first wireless access site and the second wirelessaccess site when the signal quality data matches the dynamic signalquality threshold.
 18. At least one computer-readable medium, excludingtransitory signals, and carrying instructions that, when executed by atleast one data processor, performs operations, comprising: determiningwhen to switch between a fourth-generation wireless technology standard(4G) wireless connection and a fifth-generation wireless technologystandard (5G) wireless connection in a wireless cellular network,wherein the determining includes determining a speed of a user equipment(UE) as the UE moves relative to a 4G cell site and a 5G cell site inthe cellular network, wherein determining the speed includes obtainingdata from an accelerometer sensor for the UE, and wherein thedetermining also includes determining a direction of the UE relative tothe 4G cell site and the 5G cell site, and wherein determining thedirection includes obtaining data from a digital compass for the UE;comparing the determined speed and position relative to a threshold,wherein the comparison includes: employing a lookup table havingdifferent speeds mapping to different thresholds, so that when the UE isheading away from or toward the 5G cell site, the UE can be switchedfrom a 5G new radio (5G-NR) connection to a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE)connection, or from the LTE connection to the 5G-NR connection,respectively.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, comprising:obtaining map data for the cellular network, wherein the map dataindicates variations in signal quality data based on geographic locationand a future path of the UE; determining a location where signal qualitydata associated with the 5G cell site can cause an interruption in aconnection with the UE based on the map data and the future path of theUE; and switching the connection from the 5G cell site to the 4G cellsite before the UE reaches the determined location.
 20. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the UE is an unmannedterrestrial or aerial UE.